Needle for making matted fabrics



May 4, 1943. E. M..LAPHAM 2,318,235 v 5 NEEDLE FOR MAKING MATTED FABRICSFiled Aug. 18. 1941 -l-HHr-- E7264 1%. Lapham Patented May 4, 1943UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NEEDLE FOR, MAKING MATTED FABRICS Ella M.Lapham, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application August 18, 1941,.Serial No. 407,320

1 Claim.

My present invention provides a simple and highly efiicient needle foruse in the making of matted fabrics, such as rugs, mats, carpets, andthe like.

The improved needle has been especially designed for applying thestitching thread in the making of matted fabrics such as that disclosedand claimed in my Patent No. 2,138,108 of date November 29, 1938, but isnot, of course, limited to that particular use.

In the making of such matted fabrics the stitching thread, for themaking of a rug, for example, out of cloth strips, the needle should bforced through the material a certain predetermined distance dependingon the nature of the rug-forming material and the thickness thereof.Under different conditions the depth to which the needle should beinserted will vary. As an important feature of the invention I providean adjustable stop for limiting the depth of the insertion of theneedle; and as a further feature this stop is provided with a loop orguide for the stitching thread. The needle is formed with a curved endnear the point of which the eye of the needle is placed. The needle isprovided with a longitudinal channel that extends along its shank andleads to the eye of the needle. The stop is formed by a wire coil thatembraces the shank of the needle and frictionally holds itself indifferent set positions.

A commercial form of the needle is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sid elevation of the improved needle;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the needle showing the same on anenlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the needl showing the same on the samescale as in Fig. 2';

Fig. 4 is a view looking downward toward the top of the needle; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse sections taken respectively on the lines5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 2.

The shank or body of the needle is indicated by the numeral l0. Near itspoint the needle I0 is curved, as shown at H, and terminated in a sharppoint. The eye [2 of the needle is located a suitable distance from thesharp point thereof and the shank is formed with a longitudinal grooveor channel I3 that leads to the eye l2 and extends past the same nearlyto the point of the needle. The groove I3 is located in that side of theneedle that leads to the concave side of its bent end H. At its upperend the needle is provided with a suitable handle that may be formed indifferent ways but preferably, and as shown, is formed by bending theupper end of the needle upon itself to form a head portion I 4 aroundwhich the fingers may be readily gripped.

The adjustable stop is formed by a coiled spring I 5 that embraces andfrictionally engages the shank or body of the needle with sufficientfriction to prevent accidental adjustments thereof but with a frictionalforce that can be overcome by axial pressure thereon. The lower end ofthe coil I5 is bent to form an eye or loop l6 that terminates in an endll that is yieldingly pressed against the side of the coil.

The stitching thread or material a is adapted to pass through and beguided by the eye or loop I6 which latter, it will be noted, is alignedwith the groove l3 so that the stitching thread will be directly guidedinto the said groove and from thence to the eye l2. The stitching threadcan be inserted into the eye I 6 simply by pressing the same laterallyunder the spring prong or end 11.

In actual practice this improved needle has been found highly efiicientfor the purposes had in view such as those above indicated but may befound serviceable in th making of various kinds of needle work where athread or material is to be forced in and out through the variousmaterials.

As a means for keeping the coil l5 from turning on the needle stem, andto keep the eye or guide loop I 6 aligned with the channel l3, the upperend of said spring is bent inward into the groove l3.

Fig. 5 illustrates how the inturned upper end of the coiled springengages the groove in the needle to hold the guide eye aligned with thegroove, and Fig. 6 shows the guide eye thus aligned with the groove.

What I claim is:

The combination with a needle having a curved portion terminating in apointed end and an eye in said curved portion, said needle having anexternal longitudinal groove leading to said eye on the concave side ofthe curved portion of the needle, in combination with a stop coilslidable on said needle, one end of said coil being inwardly bent intosaid groove and the other end thereof having a guide loop overlying saidgroove and held in alignment therewith by the inturned end of said stopcoil, the latter being slidably adjusted on the body of said needle.

ELLA M. LAPHAM.

